


Show Me A Sign

by jane_fucking_seymour



Category: Six - Marlow/Moss
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-10
Updated: 2020-03-10
Packaged: 2021-02-28 16:40:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,253
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23090362
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jane_fucking_seymour/pseuds/jane_fucking_seymour
Summary: Katherine does not like to talk. Anna figures out a workaround, with the help of the Catherine’s.
Comments: 9
Kudos: 138





	Show Me A Sign

Three months. It had been three months since the queens suddenly found themselves alive and well in the 21st century.

Four of them had started to adjust to the modern life with the help of their respective queens, with the remaining two having been somewhat “adopted” by their closest queen’s lady: Cathy had ended up living with Maria and Catherine, Katherine was with Anna and Bessie, Anne had Maggie, and Jane had Joan. While not terribly close, the six did still keep in touch, with their Ladies coordinating together to arrange visits and general chats.

The only queen that didn’t partake in this, however, was Katherine Howard.

Ever since Katherine had fully recovered from her pneumonia, Katherine was quiet. Too quiet for Anna’s taste, but she couldn’t get the girl to speak at all most days. It was a frustrating affair for the German queen, who couldn’t seem to get her oldest friend to open up to her.

She wish Kat would see that Anna wasn’t going to let anyone hurt her, and that Anna and the other queens were safe, but Kat seemed completely shut into herself, refusing to speak most of the time.

Unknown to them all, however, that would soon change.

That morning, while Anna and Katherine were having breakfast, Bessie walks in with a letter.

“I’ve heard from Maria de Salinas,” Bessie says with a smile. “It seems that Lady Aragon and Lady Parr would like to arrange a meeting.”

“Oh?” Anna asks, tilting her head. “Why?”

Bessie looks down at the letter, re-reading it as she speaks. “It doesn’t say, but it seems friendly enough in nature. I doubt it’s anything business related, perhaps they want to meet up with us to say hello?”

Anna shrugs. “The Catherines seemed the most friendly to us out of any of them, honestly.” Anna looks over at Kat, a soft smile on her face. Katherine refuses to meet her eye - like normal - and she’s picking at her strawberry parfait with granola as if she’s not paying attention, but Anna knows better. She knows the girl is listening, is considering. “What do you think, Kat?”

Katherine stops poking at her food, looking up in surprise. She must not have expected the question. Anna smiles even wider. “We can do whatever you’d like. No pressure at all.”

Katherine looks from Anna to Bessie, a bit nervous... but she does nod, softly, before she goes back to picking at her parfait. Anna can see the girl tense; it’s what Kat does when she’s hoping she made the right decision.

There’s still such a long way to go for her, Anna knows, but maybe this’ll help.

“I think that’s a grand idea, Kit,” Anna says, looking up at Bessie. “Tell Maria we’d be delighted to say hello. Make it within the week.”

“Of course, my lady,” Bessie says, smiling, and rushes off to arrange the meeting.

Anna looks back at Kat, who seems to have relaxed. Anna even swears that she sees Kat smiling a little bit. “Seeing them will be good, I think. I’m excited to go, aren’t you?” Anna asks, and while Kat simply nods silently, Anna can tell the girl is actually excited for it.

A few days go by and, after work, Anna picks up Kit and Bessie and heads to their decided meetup spot: a small cafe, right near Anna and Kat’s place. Bessie drops the two off and goes to park the car while Kat and Anna stand on the street, waiting for the Catherine’s and Maria to arrive.

It’s a quiet neighborhood, a bit out of the way of the normal hustle and bustle of London, and if Anna looked in just the right place, she could see the Tower of London barely peaking out from over the rooftops. It’s weird to see so many buildings around, but Anna’s fast getting used to it. 

She’s lost in thought until she feels a gentle bump at her side. She turns to find Katherine looking up at her. “Yes?”

Kat looks pointedly to Anna’s left, so Anna’s gaze follows... and she smiles brightly.

“Hello, it’s good to see you.”

Sure enough, it’s the three they’ve been waiting for. Cathy and Catherine lead the way with Maria barely trailing behind her ladies, standing dutifully next to the two Catherine’s when they stop in front of Kat and Anna. Kat backs up only slightly, giving Anna the forward position as she somewhat hides behind the German woman, one hand on Anna’s arm and the other on her back.

Anna smiles as she extends her hand, giving the trio a smile. It’s a very formal greeting for a very formal event - at least, in terms of interaction. They were all in casual clothing, but the decorum of the event compelled the queens to act a bit more proper than normal. After all, being invited out by two former queens was a rather big event, even when the two they were inviting were former queens themselves.

“Thank you for inviting us out,” Anna says. “We’ve been looking forward to this.”

“We have as well,” Catherine says with a soft smile. She looks down at Kat, who immediately averts her gaze. “It’s good to see both of you.”

“Shall we go in?” Cathy asks, nodding at Maria. Anna nods at Bessie, who has arrived just in time to help Maria open the doors for their queens.

Once they’re all settled in a booth - Catherine and Cathy on one side, Anna and Katherine on the other, Maria and Bessie at a table nearby - their orders are taken and Cathy immediately starts the conversation.

“I hope you all are well?” Cathy asks, giving them both a gentle smile. “How have you been feeling, Katherine?”

Kat continues to look down, not answering, very tense in the given situation. Anna answers instead.

“She’s been well, thank you,” Anna replies with a grin. “She’s gotten a clean bill of health from the doctors. Right as rain, this one. She watches a lot of the animal documentaries that are on, mostly about cats, oddly enough.”

“Oh? Well that’s fitting, then,” Catherine says with a chuckle. Then, looking down at Kat, trying to catch her eye: “We were very worried about you, Katherine. I’m glad it’s worked out well.”

Kat looks up for a moment - blink and you’d have missed it - and she simply nods quietly, looking down at her placemat.

Catherine and Anna look at each other for a moment before Catherine graciously changes the subject, allowing Katherine to relax a bit now that the spotlight wasn’t on her. Cathy, meanwhile, is still watching the girl, a concerned look on her face.

It’s a few more minutes into the meeting when Katherine gently knocks her head against Anna’s shoulder. Anna blinks, looking down. “What’s up, Kit?” She asks, a smile on her face as she does so.

Kat stares at Anna, then at... something... on a wall, and looks back at Anna.

Anna frowns. “Did you see a drink you like?”

Kat frowns, shakes her head, and pointedly looks again. Anna squints, trying to figure out what she’s looking at, until...

“Oh! The sign, you’re looking at the bathroom sign, aren’t you?” Anna asks, and when Kat nods, Anna immediately summons Bessie to bring the girl to the restroom.

This leaves only Anna, Catherine, Cathy and Maria.

There’s an awkward moment of silence, and Anna tenses for what she knows it coming up.

“Has she not really spoken since she’s returned?” Cathy asks, watching where Bessie and Kat went off to.

Anna stumbles for an answer at first, before she puts on another smile. “She is just fine, I’m sorry if her lack of responses are bothersome to you-“

“Anna.”

Anna looks over at Catherine, who is shaking her head. She looks seriously at the woman in front of her.

“I know we haven’t really gotten too close, but I... think we can drop the formality, right?” Catherine asks softly. “As much as this has been good fun, we care about Katherine too. We want to help.”

Anna blinks, a bit surprised at the sudden turn of events, but then Anna sighs and nods, running a hand through her hair as she sits back on her chair.

“No, she’s not alright. I can’t get her to speak, dunno how. And I can’t take her to a doctor, not yet anyways. I don’t even know how medicine works around here, I’ve been terrified that they’ll take her to a mental hospital or something. I just... don’t know what to do.”

Cathy tilts her head. “She’s mostly been communicating by nods or staring at things she wants. Like right now, right?”

Yes,” Anna nods. “But it’s a bit of a guessing game sometimes, and I don’t always get it right.”

“And we know she can speak, right?” Catherine asks. “I’m sorry, I don’t know much about her from the previous life.”

Anna nods. “I’m pretty sure. She did at the hospital, you know? I thought maybe it was because of the... incident, from back then, but I think she just doesn’t want to speak.” Anna thinks a bit. “And I’ve heard her singing to herself. It’s a lovely voice. I just... would like to hear it more often. I’d like to know what she wants, you know?”

Cathy leans back in thought. “Have you considered teaching her how to sign?”

“How to what?” Anna asks, but then she spots Bessie returning with Kat. “We’ll chat later about that.”

Kat sits back down, eyes downcast again, and the queens return to their previous conversation as if Kat had never left.

As their food is given to them, Anna sees that Kat is staring at the chips Anna has with her sandwich. With a chuckle, she gives Kat the chips, making the girl’s eyes widen in excitement. She’s got a huge smile on her face as she eats them happily.

“Make sure you eat your food too, though, okay?” Anna asks, and Katherine looks up and nods at her happily before returning to the food. Anna rolls her eyes fondly before she looks back at Catherine and Cathy. “It looks like Bessie and Maria are getting along well.”

The two Catherine’s look over to find Bessie and Maria laughing it up, excitedly speaking about something or another, and Catherine chuckles at the sight.

“I’m glad, I wasn’t entirely sure how they’d get along,” Catherine admits, “but it seems to be going just fine.” Catherine looks back at Anna. “Perhaps we can make this a regular thing?”

Katherine seems to perk up at the question. She doesn’t seem against it, just... interested.

“Yeah, I’d like that as well,” Cathy says. “I’d love to discuss a few more things with you Anna, if you’re interested.” She looks over at Kat. “And I’d love to get to know you more too, Kat. I’m sure Catherine does, too. How does that sound?”

Katherine looks up for a moment again, but it’s longer this time, as Cathy immediately meets her gaze. Slowly but surely, Katherine blinks, then nods, then goes back to looking down.

Cathy tilts her head curiously, before she seems to understand something and her eyes go wide. She looks at Anna.

“Can I try something?” She mouths, nodding towards Katherine. When Anna nods, she slowly puts a hand in Kat’s eye line. Kat looks confused at the moving hand before she looks up questioningly. Cathy stares directly at her, then slowly blinks, keeping eye contact with Katherine as she does so. Katherine stares for a moment, before she slowly blinks back, a smile on her face, and she takes the hand Cathy offers.

Anna is absolutely dumbfounded as to what Cathy did, but it seems to have worked, and now... well, know Katherine is actually laughing, actually giggling as she keeps Cathy’s hand in her own. Cathy smiles right on back before she tilts her head.

“Do you think we can go again next week, Katherine?” Cathy asks.

Anna’s already astonished at the encounter, but the next part really takes the cake.

“Yeah,” Katherine said, nodding.

Anna looks at Katherine, then at Cathy, then at Katherine, then back at Cathy. She’s absolutely speechless.

Cathy gives her a nod before they return to their normal conversation. Anna’s a bit thrown by the interaction, and at how Katherine has seemed to relax completely, a totally different position than what she was at the start of the meeting; she’s dying to know how Cathy managed what she just did.

A while later, Katherine once again excuses herself, going with Bessie to pick out a sweet to take home, and Anna finally has a chance to ask.

“Alright, Parr,” Anna says, urgency in her voice; she needs to know before Katherine gets back. “How’d you do that?”

“You said she likes watching the animal channel and her favorite animal is a cat, right?” Cathy asks. When Anna nods, Cathy continues. “So, when cats like people, they blink slowly at them to show that they like them, will stare at you a bunch, too. It’s what she’s been doing to you all day.”

Anna sits back in thought; Kat does do that a lot to Anna... and, the more she thinks about it, Kat’s not really looking down at the table; she’s looking down at Anna’s hand.

That checks out.

“So,” Cathy continues, “I thought maybe she wanted to know she was safe, and to do that she was looking for a sign that’s not normal,” Cathy shrugs.

Catherine is impressed. “Still, she only said a word, and I doubt she’ll say anything else today.”

Cathy nods. “She doesn’t seem to want to talk still, but she did feel comfortable enough to say yes, so it’s a start. I don’t know how you’re going to get her to speak more, though.”

“What if,” Anna says, deep in thought, “I set up a system so that she doesn’t have to?” She looks up at the others before she pulls out a book in her bag: sign language. “Been thinking about helping her learn this. It’s a bunch of hand motions that turn into words.”

“That’s brilliant, Anna,” Cathy says with a smile. “If you do, let us know, we’d love to learn to help her.”

“And I’m sure Anne would want to as well,” Catherine adds. “I know she wanted to talk with Kat for a while, maybe we can include her in these little get togethers?”

“I think that works,” Anna agrees. “I’ll talk to Kat tonight. If she wants to, I’ll let you know-“

“Hello.”

They all turn to find Katherine, absolutely excited to have about five different sweets and pastries. Anna immediately looks at Bessie, who looks absolutely everywhere but her queen.

“Kit-Kat,” Anna says, barely holding back a smile. “I thought I said one?”

Kat holds up the bag. “One.”

Cathy shrugs. “She’s not wrong, you know, if you didn’t specify a bag versus a sweet-“

“Don’t,” Anna interrupts, holding up a hand at Cathy, “encourage her.” Anna sighs dramatically, making a face that makes Kat chuckle. “Alright, Kit, you win this one.”

Katherine smiles brightly at her before she sits down. She opens the bag, taking out two muffins, and offers them to Cathy and Catherine, who take them happily. Maria arrives with a muffin of her own, telling her queens that it’s time to go.

“Alright, loves,” Catherine says, getting up and hugging Anna. “We’ll need to do this more often.”

Katherine nods, a gentle smile on her face as she stands next to Anna. She’s not hiding like she was before, instead keeping side by side to the fourth queen.

“Same time next week, ladies?” Cathy asks, and both Anna and Katherine nod. Bessie and Maria hug goodbye and the two groups split off.

When they get home, Anna leads Katherine to the living room, sitting her down.

“How did you like Catherine and Cathy, Kit?” Anna asks. When Katherine nods, Anna takes out the book. “I have something I think we can do to help you moving forward.”

Katherine puts her bag of sweets next to her, looking at the book curiously. Anna gives it to her, and Katherine slowly but surely reads what she can as Anna continues.

“This is called sign language. I know how you don’t like to speak sometimes, but I don’t always get your staring right, so... this will help. I’ll learn it, Bessie will too, and I know the Catherine’s and Maria will as well. Anne I think will be on board, so Maggie will too, and I think Jane will too, though that would be later,” Anne says. “That way, instead of talking, you can just... sign it to us. How does that sound-?!?”

That’s all Anna can say, though, as she’s suddenly pushed back by Katherine tackle hugging her, embracing her oldest friend tightly and nuzzling into her neck.

Anna smiles. “Okay, love, I’ll take that as a yes.”

Katherine looks up at Anna, immediately nodding so fast Anna was afraid Kat would have whiplash, before Katherine leans back to grab the bag off the couch and offer Anna her favorite dessert. Anna, with a chuckle, takes it.

“Thanks babe. I knew I could count on you.”

The sign language education at first started slow due to them having to read the book to get the information; Kat was never good at reading and English is a second language for Anna, so it’s slower progress than Anna would like. However, after Bessie learns about a video streaming service called YouTube, Anna finds a plethora of sign language tutorial videos online.

As it turns out, Katherine learns the best by doing the thing she’s trying to learn, so practically overnight she’s learned the signs she needs to to get by.

Katherine still doesn’t talk a lot - it’s something that she needs to work on - but she does express herself a lot moving forward. She signs about how she’s feeling, about something she needs to get from the store, when she’s scared, when she’s anxious, when there’s someone she’s scared of, when something happens. She’s actually really chatty, and Anna is more than happy to listen.

A few weeks later, when they’re at their weekly get together with the Catherine’s, Katherine sits down and signs emphatically with Anna about how she thinks it’s cute that the two Catherine’s have matching coats.

Cathy, with a laugh, is next to speak:

“Well, I’m glad you like them, Katherine, my Catherine picked them out.”

There’s a moment of dumbfoundness from Katherine before she perks up, practically gasping as she signs to Cathy, asking if she knows what she said.

Cathy nods, and then Catherine signs back: “We wouldn’t want you to just have Anna to talk to, hm? That would be rather lonely.”

Katherine stares, blinks slowly, then bursts out into a giggle as she excitedly signs back. The Catherine’s reply verbally, but Katherine is just excited to have more people to talk to in the way she prefers to communicate.

In the coming months, Katherine would find her voice, become less anxious to speak her mind to the world and allow for her voice to be heard. However, for those first few months - those critical weeks of her getting her footing in the world - Katherine had suddenly gone from a scared, anxious, quiet girl to one of the most chatty of the queens, and they wouldn’t have it any other way.


End file.
